Display frame



May 29, 1956 N. c. FULMER DISPLAY FRAME Filed Dec. 27. 1952 13- 22 ,4 H (4 22 :3 Fig 7 Fig. 6

26 29 ll 2 "Z! F69 9 F69. IO //%Z INVENTOR.

ml-no United States PatentO DISPLAY Norman -C. Fu'lmer, Montc'lair, N. J.

Application December 27, 1952, Serial No. 328,230

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-156) This invention relates .to frames or supports for holding or displayingpicturs or the like.

In display frames of the prior art, it has been impossible or difficult to achieve a structure which .allows a plurality of pictures or other objects displayed therein to be viewed from two sides thereof, or which permits quick and easy replacement of the picture or other object displayed and which is at thersame time rugged, durable, and pleasing in appearance.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved display frame whichovercomes the above-enumerated drawbacks. Still other objects will be apparent from the following disclosure and "from the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a front view of a display frame constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 'is a top view of the device shown in Fig. '1,

Figure 3 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 1, shown in temporary position for removing or inserting a picture,

Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are top views of alternative structures of the invention,

Figures 8 and 9 are front and side views, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 10 is a side view of a further embodiment.

The invention comprises, essentially, a transparent front window member 11 and a transparent back window member 12 having levers or ears 13 attached to or extending therefrom and having portions thereof flanking opposite edges of the front window member 11 and provided with clamping surfaces 14 for releasably securing the front window member 11 to the rest of the structure, in the manner shown, for supporting a picture or other object 16 between the window members 11 and 12. As shown, the front window member 11 preferably is provided with convex edges at two opposite sides thereof, and the clamping surfaces 14 comprise concave surfaces which are positioned to engage the convex edges of the front window member. If desired, the back window member 12 and the levers 13 may be formed integrally, preferably from a transparent and resilient plastic material.

Figures 1 and 2 show the picture or object 16 secured in place between the window members 11, 12. The object 16 may comprise two pictures, or menus, announcements, or the like, positioned back-to-back, or two pictures or the like printed on opposite sides of a fiat object. The clamping surfaces 14 and the edges of the front window 11, being in the shapes shown or an equivalent tapered or wedge shape, tend to hold the front window 11 against the picture 16, which in turn is supported by the back window 12. The thicker the object 16 is, the tighter will be the clamping action, due to the tapered shapes of the clamping surfaces.

The device may be made so that the front window member 11 fits somewhat loosely between the clamping surfaces 14 when the picture 16 is not in place; then, with the picture 16 in place, the edges of the front window Patented May 29, 1956 member 11 are urged frontwardlyagainst the tapered surfaces 14, thereby providing a clamping action which secures the picture .16 in place.

To release the display :frame for removal or insertion of a picture or other object, the levers .13 are bentslightly back, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby releasing the front window member 11 and the picture 16. As indicated in Fig.

3, when the levers 13 are bent back, the back window 12 bends, the center :thereof resting against the back of the picture 16 and providing a leverage fulcrum which adds in forcing the clamping surfaces 14 away from the edges 17 of the front window 11. ftis possible, though not :as desirable, to provide only a single lever 13 which maybe bent back to release one of the clamping surfaces 14 from an edge 17 of the front member 11 in .the manner described.

To reassemble, the front window 11 may be pressed with its edges 17 against one or both of the front edges 18 of the clamping surfaces 14, whereupon it will force the clamping surfaces mutually apart .and pop into proper position against the picture 16. The preferred convex shapes of the edges 17 provide 'rearwardly tapered surfaces which aid in forcing the clamping surfaces .14 apart during assembly, and also provide frontwardly tapered surfaces which cooperate with :the clamping surfaces 1410 aid in the clamping :action described above.

Although the front and back windows 11, 12 are preferably transparent, the levers 13 may %be transparent, translucent, .or opaque, as may 'be desired for .artistic -.or other effects. -Of course, oulyone "of the window :rnemhers need be transparent if only a single pichure is 10 be displayed. If desired, a border may be provided near the edges of the window members :to conceal theedges 10f the picture '16, or -a mask may :be positioned in frontof the picture, in the well-known manner.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the levers 13 are shaped to extend forwardly from the clamping surfaces 14, the extremities thereof being curved toward and beyond the rear of the device. The levers 13 thus form, at their bottom edges, a base for resting the display frame on a horizontal surface.

The embodiment of Fig. 5 provides curved portions 21 in the levers 13 between the back window 12 and the clamping surfaces 14, and the extremities of the levers extend forwardly, the levers thus providing a base at their bottom edges. The curved portions 21 also provide added resiliency for releasing of the front window 11 when the levers 13 are pushed back or outwardly.

In the embodiment of Fig. 6, the clamping surfaces 14 are provided on the inner edges of mutually parallel ribs 22 which extend from the levers 13 at their points of joinder to the back window 12.

In the embodiment of Fig. 7, the levers 13 are fabricated individually and are provided with clamping surfaces 14, and are then attached by cement or other means to the rear window 12 as shown. The levers 13 may be made of colored or opaque material, whereas the windows 11, 12 are of transparent material. This embodiment, as well as the embodiments of Figs. l-3 and 6, may be held, supported, or suspended by brackets, strings or the like in any of the several manners well known in the art. Also, the levers 13 of any of these embodiments may be curved in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 4 or 5 to provide a base.

In the embodiment of Figs. 8 and 9, the front window member 11 extends downwardly and is provided with a base for resting on a table-top 26 or the like, which base may be formed by partially slitting the window 11 as indicated at 27 to provide two flanking portions 28, 29, and bending one of the portions 28 frontwardly and bending the other portion 29 rearwardly, as shown. If desired,

two or more slits may be provided to form several base portions, some of which are bent frontwardly and the others bent rearwardly. Or, the bottom part of thefront window 11 may be attached to a base pedestal or may be bent as shown in Fig. to provide a base.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides an improved display frame which renders displayed objects visible on two sides thereof, which permits quick and easy replacement of the displayed object, and which may be conveniently rested on a table-top or supported in other ways. a

While preferred embodiments of the invention and modifications thereof have been shown and described, other embodiments and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art which will fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A display frame comprising a substantially flat and rigid front member having a pair of oppositely disposed mutually parallel edges, and a back member comprising a substantially fiat portion having a surface positioned in closely spaced parallelism with a surface of said front member thereby to hold a displayed object between said surfaces, at least one of said members being transparent, said back member further comprising a pair of clamping members respectively engaging said parallel edges of the front member, and a lever member attached to one of said clamping members and extending outwardly from said one clamping member beyond the respectively engaged edge of the front member in a direction substantially away from saidfront and back members whereby the front surface of said lever member is capable of manual engegement, said back member being sufliciently resilient so that when said lever member is forced backwardly by manual pressure against the front surface of said lever member said last-mentioned clamping member is substantially released from engagement with said front memher thereby disengaging said front member from said back member.

2. A display frame comprising a substantially fiat and rigid front member having a pair of oppositely disposed mutually parallel edges, and a back member comprising a substantially fiat portion having a surface positioned in closely spaced parallelism with a surface of said front member thereby to hold a displayed object between said surfaces, at least one of said members being transparent, said back member further comprising a pair of clamping members respectively engaging said parallel edges of the front member, and a pair of lever members attached to said clamping members and extending respectively outwardly from said clamping members beyond said respectively engaged edges in a direction substantially away from said front and back members whereby the front surfaces of said lever members are capable of manual engagement, said back member being sufficiently resilient so that when said lever members are forced backwardly by manual pressure against the front surfaces of said lever members said clamping members are substantially released from engagement with said front member thereby disengaging said front member from said back member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 141,650 Moglen June 19, 1945 2,490,058 Jablon Dec. 6, 1949 2,506,461 Leach May 2, 1950 2,614,354 Winslow Oct. 21, 1952 2,651,867 Prew Sept. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 139,297 Great Britain Mar. 4, 1920 951,868 France Apr. 18, 1949 

